His Choice
by Amaia-Sinblood
Summary: What if Nana found out about her husbands job and decided to move away from Namimori for Tsuna's safety? When Reborn comes to tutor Tsuna to be the next boss of the Vongola, he is shocked to find an empty house. What will the Vongola do? Will they find Tsuna? This story features adult Arcobaleno's.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Most people think Sawada Nana is oblivious of what goes on around her, but in reality, she's not. She knows what her husband does and she resents him for it, even more so for putting Tsuna in danger. She also knows that one day, Tsuna may be taken away from her, which she isn't going to let happen. Won't the Vongola be in for a surprise when they send Reborn to Japan to train Tsuna only to find that he's not there.

**I have been reading a lot of Strong!Tsuna fics lately and one thing I noticed in all of them as well as the in the Anime and Manga is that it's pointed out that Tsuna doesn't have a choice whether or not he wants to become Vongola Decimo, which I don't believe is true. Even if Reborn or the Vongola threaten Tsuna, he still has the choice of what he does with his life. I don't like how it's just accepted that Tsuna has no choice in the matter, so I decided to write this story where Tsuna makes the choice not to be Vongola Decimo and he doesn't become Vongola Decimo. I thought it would be a different twist on the Strong!Tsuna fics. **

**Some characters and events may be a bit OOC or AU and sorry if I don't get some things right but I'm new to **Katekyo Hitman Reborn! **and I'm not the best of writers.**

**Pairings: **I'm going to have a poll and let everyone choose which pairing they like best. If you choose other on the poll, please message me about which pairing it is.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, those rights belong to Akira Amano.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Sawada Nana is not the oblivious and innocent person everyone makers her out to be. She knows her husband is not what he seems to be.

It all started three years ago, when her son Tsuna was nine years old, she started getting suspicious when not only did Iemitsu not come home for years, but sent them a postcard with penguins. What kind of 'construction worker' does jobs in the South Pole? None that she knows of, which piqued her curiosity. He's hiding something, and she made the decision to find out just what her husband's secret is.

And find out she did.

It took a bit of money to hire a private investigator, but it paid out in the end when it brought her the results she was looking for. However, when she got her answers, they weren't ones she was prepared for.

Really, she could have handled it better if he was some kind of secret agent or worked for the government, but a Mafioso? A Mafioso. She wonders what she ever saw in her husband. It's one thing to risk his own life, but doesn't he know that he's not the only one who will be in danger? Maybe that's why he left, and even if that's the case, it still doesn't stop her from resenting him. How could he have just up and left without telling them anything about his real job? Does he really think that by leaving and keeping them ignorant, it will stop assassins from coming after them? If anything it will make it easier for the assassins to kill them since they wouldn't be aware of what's going on and would have no one there to protect them. What a coward her husband is. He ran away when they needed him the most. Even worse, he put her in danger. Put their _son_ in danger, something she can never forgive him for.

Yes, she really does resent that man. He left them here to fend for themselves. Now all she can do is try and protect her son, and she will, no matter what.

* * *

**Tsuna: Age 12**

"We're moving." Sawada Nana, a pretty woman with short brown hair and brown eyes says to her son.

"W-what?" Asks said son, whose name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, Tsuna for short and a near spitting image of his mother with his brown hair and eyes, the only difference being their genders, asks.

He knew that this day was coming, he just didn't expect it to happen so soon. All because of _him, _his father, no _that man._

_That man_ lost all rights years ago to being his father when he abandoned him and his mother for his job as a Mafioso. Oh yes, his mother told him everything she found out about his father and to say he was mad is an understatement. No, he wasn't mad. He was _pissed_. How dare that useless excuse of a father just abandon them, but most importantly, how dare he put them in danger without telling them anything! He wanted more than anything to track that man down to the ends of the earth and tear him a new one, but he knows getting mad at him wasn't going to solve the current problem: the danger they're in.

Both his mother and him could easily deduce that someday they would be targeted for being related to one Sawada Iemitsu, so in order to defend themselves, his mother had signed them both up for some martial arts classes.

He was nervous at first because he wasn't nicknamed Dame-Tsuna by his classmates for no reason. No, he was nicknamed that for his lack of intelligence, athletic ability and overall, his clumsiness. He was worried that he would do more damage to himself trying to learn how to fight than any future assassin could do, so you can imagine it was a surprise when he found out he has a natural talent for fighting (though more specifically, dodging).

Here he had thought he was going to end up tripping all over himself, but he didn't. Instead, within a year he learned well beyond the basics for fighting and continued to grow. Now he can confidently say that if any assassins were to try and attack him now, he could easily defend himself. That's not to say he will underestimate them, but his chances of survival are way better then when he was Dame-Tsuna.

Tsuna may hate his father so much for putting his family in danger, but he grudgingly admits that if his father had been a normal construction worker, he wouldn't have learned how to stand up for himself. Once he had gained the confidence in his fighting abilities, he stood up to the people who always bullied him, which was enough to get them physically off his back, but not verbally. They still called him Dame-Tsuna because while he may have learned how to defend himself and be a little less clumsy, he was still not that smart. So to shut them up, he spent hours each day with a tutor (who also happens to be a good friend of his now) and gradually it paid off. He's by no means a genius, but he's now getting Bs and a few As in his classes.

And the results of his efforts were that more and more people stopped calling him Dame-Tsuna, but the bad side of it is that all those people who used to bully, mock and ridicule him suddenly wanted to be his friend and have him help them with their school work. It's sad how fickle people can be which is why he surrounded himself with people he knows are his true friends (even though a certain prefect won't admit they're friends).

Friends of which he realizes he'll have to leave behind if they move. Friends who he really doesn't want to leave. They were the first ones (besides his mother) to acknowledge him when he was Dame-Tsuna, and now when he finally is experiencing what it's like to have friends and be a normal student, he has to leave that all behind.

But he knows it's inevitable. He can see that as he looks at his mother and see's determination shining in her eyes. She won't listen to any protests he has, and he can't blame her for that. He knows she's doing what she has to in order to keep them, specifically him, safe. So sighing, he asks. "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow. I know it's short notice to spring something this big on you, but..." His mother says, looking nervous.

"But what?" He prompts, smiling at his mother to calm her.

It works somewhat as she gives him a smile (a strained one) of her own and says. "You know we've trained to deal with any possible assassins that may come after us, but there has always been another fear I had that I didn't want to mention to you until you were a little older. "

"What is it?" Tsuna asks, worried. He has a feeling he isn't going to like what his mother is about to tell him.

"They may take you away from me."

And that feeling was right.

"What do you mean? Why would they take me away from you?"

His mother wrings her hands nervously and stays quiet for a few seconds before whispering so low he has to strain to hear what she is saying. "I'm not sure, but what if the mafia take you away someday to use you for their own needs?"

Tsuna is stunned. He never even thought of that possibility, but something is telling him that what his mother is saying may come true someday.

"I don't want that to happen and I won't let it! _That man _has already ruined our lives by making us possible targets, I don't want him to ruin it even more by making it so that you don't have a choice in who or what you want to be when you grow up!" His mother says fiercely.

His eyes soften. "Kaa-san..." A few tears roll down his cheeks and he grabs his mother in a tight hug. "You're the best mother anyone could ever ask for."

She hugs him back just as tightly, a few tears of her own rolling down her cheeks. "And you're the best son anyone could ever ask for."

They stay like that for a few minutes before pulling away and wiping their eyes.

"I understand why we need to move and I agree with you that it's for the best, but it still doesn't make it any less hard to leave my friends behind."

His mother frowns. "I know it will be hard, but at least you can talk with them on the phone and online. Maybe they can even come to our new home for a visit. I would let you visit them, but I don't know how safe it will be coming back to Namimori once we leave."

"I know. I'll break the news to them tomorrow. Thankfully It's Sunday so we don't have school. Speaking of which, I assume you've already told the school by now that we're moving?"

His mother nods.

"Yes. Now all we need to do is pack."

And with that, they set to work packing all of their belongings in boxes since Tsuna wants to spend tomorrow, his last day in Namimori, with his friends. Thankfully his mom already has all the other details like a new house and moving truck set up.

It takes them nearly all day, but they are tired once they finish.

Laying in bed that night, he wonders what his new town is going to be like. His mother didn't tell them where they're moving because she wanted to surprise him. He can only hope it's somewhere decent and by a long shot, close to Namimori.

Closing his eyes, Tsuna drifts to sleep, dreaming of what his new life might be like, which still includes his friends.

* * *

**The Next Day**

"Hahi you're moving?" His friend Miura Haru, a cute girl with dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail and brown eyes asks, looking sad at the news.

Tsuna brought them all to his room so he can explain.

"Yeah." Tsuna says, his eyes downcast. He can't bring himself to look at the sad looks on his friends faces.

"This news is so not EXTREME!" Sasagawa Ryohei, a boy with white hair, grey eyes, tan skin and a bandage on his nose yells. The occupants of Tsuna's room are all used to how loud their friend is so it doesn't bother them so much (minus the guy hanging in the corner of the room who seems like he's avoiding the other occupants of the room, which he is).

"Tsuna-kun..." Ryohei's younger sister, Sasagawa Kyoko, a cute girl with short orange hair and brown eyes, whispers sadly. Tsuna is one of the few males she knows who doesn't fawn over her for her beauty and one of the few true friends she has, so to hear that he's moving makes her sad. What if they never see or hear from him again?

She snaps out of her musing when she feels a hand on her shoulder. Turning to see who it is, she comes face-to-face with her best friend Kurokawa Hana, a pretty girl with long dark brown hair and eyes.

"It's alright Kyoko, just means there will be one less monkey in Namimori..." Hana says jokingly to try and cheer her friend up, but she's also just as sad (though she is trying not to show it) about Tsuna moving.

Hana doesn't really like most of the boys in their school, thinking them all to be monkeys, but Tsuna is different. Yeah, he can be a monkey sometimes, but she still finds him more preferable compared to other boys her age. She had wrote him off at first as just another monkey, but one day he approached her asking to be tutored and she found she couldn't really say no at the determined look in his eyes. That and she may have also felt bad and outraged at how their classmates treated him (she will never tell him that though). She watched as his hard work eventually paid off and he stopped being Dame-Tsuna, something of which she is proud of. She felt satisfaction watching the boy she tutored become comfortable in his own skin. Even more so when he started standing up to those who once mocked and made fun of him. So to hear that he's suddenly moving, of course she's sad about it even if she doesn't show it.

"Maa, maa everyone calm down and let Tsuna explain." Yamamoto Takeshi, a handsome boy with black hair, brown eyes and tan skin says in his usual cheery tone, but the hard look in his eyes shows he's not as happy as he's letting on. Of course he isn't. Tsuna is the one who saved him when he was being stupid and thinking about suicide all over a broken arm. Tsuna is the first one who accepted him as more than the star baseball player and popular guy. Even though all his true friends are important to him, Tsuna will always have a special place in his heart because he is the first true friend Yamamoto ever had.

It also may have to do with the fact that there's something about Tsuna that draws people to him, even the scary prefect standing in the corner of the room watching them all (mainly Tsuna) with his piercing gaze.

Hibari Kyoya, a handsome but scary boy with black hair and grey eyes. Even he finds himself drawn to the once herbivore, now omnivore. He usually doesn't like people crowding him, but he makes exceptions for one Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tsuna is the only person he can stand being around without feeling annoyed by his presence. Plus, if he moves, he will lose his sparring partner and one of the few people (the others being Yamamoto and Ryohei) who can give him any excitement when they fight. A little part of him may also miss the boy, but nothing and no one will ever get him to admit that.

"Hn. Explain omnivore." Hibari says, eyes narrowing in on Tsuna, who looks a bit nervous at the attention. He wants to get this done with quickly so he can get away from the crowd in the room.

"Well, it's like this...my mom kind of sprung it on me last night that we are moving." Tsuna starts, running his hands through his hair nervously. He's proud that he managed to say all that without stuttering. He may not be Dame-Tsuna anymore, but Hibari still scares him.

"But why?" Haru asks, frowning. She really doesn't want her Tsuna-san to leave. She doesn't get to see him as often because she goes to a different school than the others, so if he moves away, she really won't get to see him anymore.

Tsuna sighs. He was hoping they wouldn't ask any questions, but he knows that's just wishful thinking. Of course they're going to ask questions as to why he's suddenly moving. He knew they would ask him, so he had to prepare a good cover story. He trusts his friends with his life, but that doesn't mean he's going to tell them everything when all it will do is bring nothing but trouble. He doesn't want to drag them into the Mafia world that he himself is so desperately trying to escape. Sure, the mafia hasn't come after him yet, but it's only a matter of time before someone discovers about his existence. They may even already know about him since from what he remembers of _that man_, he likes to gush over how cute his wife and son are. Funny considering how the man cares more about his work than them.

"Kaa-san wanted to take on a better job to earn more money since she doesn't like asking for _that man's_ help."

Tsuna's friends say nothing. They know who he's talking about when he says _that man_. Tsuna's father. Saying his name or mentioning anything about him is something they learned is taboo when they first visited the Sawada residence. Haru had simply asked where Tsuna's father is and the next thing they know a dark aura was surrounding both mother and son as they told her never to ask about him again. From that day onward they learned not to ask questions about Tsuna's father. The only thing Tsuna told them about his father is that he abandoned them for his work, though they have a feeling that there's more to the story, but they refrain from asking in order to not upset them. That and because Nana and Tsuna are scary when they're angry despite their cute and innocent appearance.

It's silent in the room for a few minutes. No one knows what to say, but the awkwardness is getting to them so much that unsurprisingly the first one to say something is Ryohei, who can never keep quiet for very long.

"We'll miss you to the extreme!"

This startles everyone out of their thoughts.

"Of course we will stupid monkey." Hana says sharply, though they know it's her way of showing she cares. She's similar to Hibari in that aspect.

"You'll make sure to come and visit us won't you?" Kyoko asks, looking at Tsuna with hopeful eyes.

Tsuna can never say no to those eyes, so he nods. "I'll try."

But on the inside, he's panicking. His mother already told them they might not be able to come back for safety reasons, so he doubts she'll let him visit.

As if knowing what he's thinking, Hibari says. "Omnivore, you will come visit or I'll hunt you down and bite you to death."

Hibari smirks at Tsuna who starts sweating and nodding furiously at him.

This time Tsuna does stutter. "I-I'm sure I can work something out with Kaa-san. Though how often I visit depends on how far we're moving."

"Ahahaha, you don't know where you're moving?" Yamamoto asks, now slightly happier at the prospect of Tsuna being able to visit.

"She wants it to be a surprise."

"I hope it's not too far away." Kyoko says.

"Hahi, me too! Haru doesn't want to be away from Tsuna~desu."

Tsuna smiles sadly at the two girls. "I know. I don't want to be away from any of you either, but it's not like we won't see or hear from each other again. We can always talk online or on the phone and I will see about visiting. Like I said, I'll talk to Kaa-san about visiting. I'm sure I can work something out with her."

He really hopes so because he knows if he doesn't visit, Hibari will uphold his promise.

"Alright!"

"EXTREME!"

"Of course we can Tsuna-kun."

"You better, monkey."

"Ahahaha!"

"Hn."

"So how about we spend the day together since we won't be able to see Tsuna-kun for a while?" Kyoko suggests after everyone calmed down.

"That's another reason I called everyone over. I was hoping we could all hang out before I move tomorrow."

"Let's do it then!"

"Alright!" Everyone, even surprisingly Hibari, agrees.

And so, they spend the whole day together at all their favorite spots in Namimori and when the day is done, they all part ways with a promise to meet up at Tsuna's house tomorrow so they can see him off.

* * *

**1 Year Later**

"I've landed." A handsome young man wearing a black fedora hat with a thick orange stripe says into the mobile phone he's holding to his ear. From the few tufts of hair and strange curly sideburns that can be seen sticking out of his fedora, his hair is black. His eyes are almost the same color black as his hair.

People walking by him in the airport think he must be some kind of businessman what with the black suit with an orange-yellow (they can't tell which color it is, but they assume orange to match the stripe on his fedora) undershirt, black tie and black shoes that he's wearing.

Many young women stop to squeal and drool over the sight of him. Said man tilts his head down so his fedora is covering his eyes and smirks at their reaction before turning his attention back to his phone just as the person on the other end of the line says something.

"You know your mission right?" The person sounds old, though not _too_ old.

"Of course. I'm to train Sawada Tsunayoshi to become the next mafia boss of the Vongola."

"I trust you won't fail?"

"Of course. After all, I never fail." The man says, confident (or maybe arrogant?) in his ability to get the job done. Then again, he is the world's greatest hitman and the strongest out of all the Arcobaleno's, Reborn, so of course people wouldn't doubt him to get the job done.

Then again, he has no idea what's in store for him when he reaches the Sawada residence, or what used to be the Sawada's home, but he doesn't know that.

"Good. Make sure to keep me updated on his progress."

"I will." The man, known as Reborn says before hanging up.

With a smirk, he weaves his way through people and out of the airport.

_Get ready Sawada Tsunayoshi, I will train you to be a great boss._

What he doesn't know is that he won't find said student when he reaches the Sawada residence.

* * *

**In case any of you are wondering, whenever I look at pictures of Adult Reborn his shirt looks yellow in some and orange in others, that's why I said orange-yellow undershirt.**

**If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to message me. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thanks so much to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed. I'm glad you like the story.**

**So far these are the results of the pairings poll:**

**R27 - 4**

**6927 - 1**

**1827 - 2**

**8027 - 1**

**I want to note that Tsuna only being in the next town over is going to be explained more next chapter in case anyone is confused. **

**Again, sorry if I got some things wrong. Like I said before, I'm still new to **Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, those rights belong to Akira Amano.

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me..."

Reborn had just spent the last half hour riding in a taxi to the Sawada residence. He used that time to review the information that idiot Iemitsu had given him about his son, which isn't much. Sawada Tsunayoshi, a 13-year old boy who has no athletic skills, is failing all his classes and is quite clumsy. Other than that, there is no other information on the boy which he had found odd since not only did they have Iemistu gathering information, but they sent some of Vongola's best spies to see what they could find out about the next boss of the Vongola.

He didn't think further on it though and decided to simply learn more about one Sawada Tsunayoshi while he tutors (read as: tortures) him.

However, he wasn't expecting this obstacle when he arrived.

A simple **For Sale** sign sitting on the lawn of what is now the former Sawada residence.

Here Reborn had thought the only obstacle in his way would have been unwillingness to become the Vongola Decimo and Sawada Tsunayoshi's no-good character.

_Heh, looks like that idiot Iemitsu underestimated his family. _Reborn thinks, pulling out his cellphone.

He has some calls to make, one of which he already knows is going to give him a headache, so he decides to make the less annoying one first.

Dialing a number Reborn knows by heart, he listens to it ring. When the familiar voice of Timoteo picks up, he doesn't give him a chance to speak. He doesn't care if he gets scolded for being rude. After all, this is an urgent matter that concerns Timoteo, so Reborn is sure he will want to know about it.

"We have a problem."

"What is it?" Timoteo asks, sounding serious. Reborn wouldn't have called him after only getting off the phone with him a half-hour ago if it isn't serious.

"The Sawada's have moved. Either Iemitsu didn't give us full information, which I doubt is true, or his family didn't inform him about their new location."

"..."

"This isn't good. He's the only heir I have left." Timoteo says, distressed. He's getting old and needs an heir. The only other option he has is Xanxus, but he really doesn't want to go there. He has other reasons Xanxus is not fit to be the heir, but he will keep those to himself.

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Find him. I _need _my heir so the sooner we find him, the better. Once you find Tsuna, start training him. Also, don't let anyone else besides Iemitsu and us know about this. Enemies may try to take advantage if they know Vongola Decimo is missing."

"Understood."

Click.

Reborn sighs, taking his fedora off his head to run a hand through his spiky hair.

"Now to make a call to that idiot."

He would rather leave it to someone else to tell Iemitsu the news, but he knows that even if he doesn't tell him, Timoteo will and Iemitsu will call him and bug him more about it so he might as well get it done and over with.

Here goes.

Reborn dials another familiar number and waits for the person to pick up.

"Reborn~ How are my lovely Nana and precious son?" Reborn cringes and holds the phone away from his ear as Iemitsu, or 'the idiot' as Reborn is so fond of calling him, yells in his ear.

"Not here." He really wants to add 'you idiot' at the end of his sentence but refrains from doing so, if only because of his respect for Timoteo. But that doesn't mean he can't have some fun with the idiot.

"Looks like you don't know your family as well as you thought you did seeing as how they didn't tell you they moved."

"WHAT!? You're lying! My precious Nana wouldn't do that to me..." Reborn can hear the hesitation in his voice. Iemitsu sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than him.

"Is there something you're not telling me? Did you know they moved?"

Reborn has his doubts about Iemitsu knowing. Why? Because if Iemitsu knew that his family moved, he would have given him the new address since he's the one who suggested his son be Vongola Decimo and all.

"NO!" Iemitsu yells, sounding panicked for a second. Reborn waits and when the man finally calms down a bit, he says. "It's just...Nana used to call me everyday to talk about Tsuna or what was going on in Namimori, but then, around 4-5 years ago, she stopped calling. At first I thought she may have been busy or didn't want to bother me at work, but after a year of no calls, I was worried. What if an assassin got them? So I had one of the Vongola spies see if they were alright."

"And? I assume they were since you suggested Tsuna to be Vongola Decimo."

"Yes, they were fine and from what the spies said, Nana didn't look too busy to call. Which means she was purposefully not calling..." Iemitsu almost sounds like he's crying as he says this.

Reborn doesn't know what to say. The man may be an idiot, but even he's starting to feel bad for him, but not much. After all, Iemitsu's the one who abandoned his family for years and left them to fend for themselves. Did he really think they wouldn't notice or care?

Though, from what Iemitsu has told pretty much everyone in Vongola and the CEDEF, Nana is apparently an 'oblivious' and 'innocent' woman. Which begs the question, is Nana really as oblivious and innocent as Iemitsu makes her out to be? Could it be that Nana and Tsunayoshi moved and didn't tell Iemitsu because they thought he abandoned them, or is it something else?

"So you're wife has been ignoring you for the last few years and moved without telling you." Reborn sums the situation up. He can almost feel Iemitsu flinching on the other end of the phone.

"So it seems. Did you contact Timoteo about this?"

"Yeah. He said to find your son and to not let anyone but us three know."

"Alright. I'll leave this to you then. Please find my son and wife." Iemitsu says, an almost pleading but somewhat guilty tone in his voice.

He can only imagine what the man is thinking. Probably throwing himself a pity party.

"I will."

Click.

That had to be one of the least annoying conversations he's had with that idiot yet. He makes a mental note to call Gokudera Hayato and let him know he won't be needed until he tracks that student of his down.

Reborn sighs.

"What a mess this has become. You better watch out Sawada Tsunayoshi, when I find you I'm going to train you harder than I planned to make up for lost time and for making me waste time looking for you." Reborn smirks.

* * *

In the next town over, a familiar boy shivers, discreetly looking around the classroom in fright.

"Kufufu~ Something wrong Kuuya?" A boy with pineapple-shaped blue hair and heterochromatic eyes, one blue, one red, asks, raising an eyebrow at the boy sitting in the desk next to him.

"I feel like something is going to happen soon." Kuuya, a boy with black hair and brown eyes says.

"Good or bad?"

"Bad."

"Do you think it has something to do with _them_?"

"Most likely. You don't think they've found me already do you?"

"I don't think so otherwise they would have already confronted you."

"That's true. They most likely would have kidnapped me already."

"Kufufu~ as if they could do that. If they want you, they have to go through Ken, Chikusa, Chrome and I first and even if they managed to, they wouldn't be able to fight you let alone kidnap you."

"Thanks Mukuro, but let's leave this conversation for later at my house."

"Kufufu~ anything for you, my dear Kuuya. Of course I also don't like the mafia, so getting to fight them is a bonus."

"I told you to stop calling me dear."

"Kufufu~ never my dear Kuuya." Mukuro purrs.

Kuuya sighs, knowing he will never get Mukuro to stop calling him dear, yet he still tries anyway. The old him would have given up after the first try. Actually, the old him would have probably given up _before _he even tried.

* * *

**Namimori**

Gokudera growls angrily, wanting to smash his phone on the ground but manages to refrain from doing so (if only for the sake of saving money).

"Grrr...when I get my hands on that kid, I'm going to beat him to a pulp for making me wait! I don't know why I even bothered to take Reborn up on his offer (though it was more of a demand)!"

But of course any sane person knows that refusing Reborn is a guaranteed way to either get beaten badly or killed, and Gokudera really doesn't want to get on Reborn's bad side so he followed his orders only to find out that the plan is delayed because the Vongola Decimo candidate decided to run away.

"What a coward. There's no way I'll ever follow someone who runs away from their duties."

Gokudera sighs. "Now what am I supposed to do? I flew out here much earlier than Reborn told me to so I could see for myself what Vongola Decimo is like, but now I have to wait until Reborn finds him."

Gokudera already checked out all of Namimori, so maybe he should go sightseeing in Japan while he's waiting. That should keep him busy for a while and since he's never been out of Italy, it would be cool to see some new sights.

Alright, that's what he'll do. His first stop will be the next town over since it's the closest and he doesn't have enough money to travel too far right now.

* * *

It's only been a year since Tsuna and his mother moved from Namimori, but to him, it feels like it's been longer than that. Not to say that he hates his new town, actually, he loves it which is the reason why it's felt like more than a year.

In that year Tsuna managed to become good friends with Mukuro Rokudo, Chrome Dokuro, Ken and Chikusa. He knows all about Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa's involvement in the mafia, their crimes and their stay in Vendicare just as they know about him being related to the Vongola.

At first they were hostile towards him, but after learning that he also has a grudge against the mafia, they accepted him into their group. Chrome joined later after Mukuro saved her, and since then, they have been inseparable.

Mukuro uses his illusions to help hide Tsuna and his mother from the Vongola and any of its allies that may be looking for them. If someone were to look at either Tsuna or Nana, they wouldn't see a short 13-year old boy with spiky brown hair and big brown eyes and a woman who looks similar, but with short, straight brown hair. Instead they would see a tall 15-year old boy with black hair and brown eyes and a woman with long black hair and brown eyes. Only people who are skilled with illusions can see through the lie, which is why Tsuna and his mother still need to be careful when going outside. They don't know who may be watching.

Tsuna and Nana also changed their names, Tsuna now going by Kuuya and Nana by Michiko with their last name being a somewhat common surname in Japan: Fujimoto. If the Vongola tries to find anyone by the names of Sawada Tsunayoshi and Sawada Nana, they will come up blank. Nana made sure to get all the records containing their old names and any information on them and they only call each other 'Tsuna' or 'Nana' in the privacy of their own homes.

He's gotten used to his new life, but still keep's in contact with his friends from Namimori. They're all doing good as usual, so Tsuna is glad. The only thing he is worried about is the Vongola trying to contact them for information about him or his mother. He knows his friends would never tell them anything, he just worries that the Vongola may hurt his friends to get information out of them.

If they do, he will track them down and give them back double of what they gave his friends. He's not the weak boy he used to be. If anyone tries to hurt the people close to him, you can bet he's going to protect them.

"...suna...Tsuna!" Someone's shaking him. He must have spaced out again. Tsuna forgot it's after school and like he promised, he and his friends went to his house to further discuss what they were talking about at school (though it was really just him and Mukuro talking, but they don't keep secrets from Ken. Chikusa and Chrome). He must have been quiet for too long.

Tsuna snaps his attention to Mukuro whose sitting in front of him. Nobody but his close friends would be able to tell, but Tsuna can see that Mukuro is worried. His eyes are searching him, looking at him questioningly.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking."

Mukuro's shoulder slightly sags in relief, his hands releasing Tsuna from their hold.

"Is it about the Vongola?" Ken asks, slightly snarling at the mention of the mafia group. None of them really like the mafia.

"Somewhat."

"Kufufu~ speaking of the Vongola, I snooped around like you asked me to and I managed to find out a piece of interesting information."

"What is it?"

"Looks like Vongola Nono's three sons, Enrico, Federico and Massimo, were all killed and you are the only heir left so Nono has sent the world's greatest hitman, Reborn, to train you to become Vongola Decimo. In fact, he should have already arrived at your old house by now. Kufufu~ I wish I could have seen his face when he saw you weren't there!"

Tsuna, Ken and Chikusa laugh along with Mukuro. Chrome quietly sits next to Mukuro, not really laughing because the mafia hasn't hurt her like it has those four. Not yet anyway.

"I bet it was priceless! Someone getting the jump on Reborn of all people!" Tsuna laughs.

He made sure to study everybody linked to the Vongola, so he knows who Reborn is and is glad he got out of Namimori before he showed up. Tsuna has heard about what Reborn's ex-student Dino had to face and boy is he sure happy that he won't have to endure the same torture. He will never become a mafia boss, it's as simple as that. His mother made sure to get Tsuna and herself out before they both got sucked in much deeper than they already are.

"I know! Wish we could have seen it!" Ken laughs.

"It's a good thing you got out of there when you did Tsuna, otherwise you might have been stuck with Reborn. Let's hope he doesn't find you." Chikusa says.

"Kufufu~ if he does, we'll just have to make him go away." Mukuro grins.

"Besides, even if he did find me, no matter what he does, he can't make me become Vongola Decimo. I won't allow it because if I did, all of the trouble my mother and you all went through to hide me would have been for nothing."

Yes, no one pushes Tsuna around anymore. He won't let them. If the Vongola think they can force him to be their next boss, they can think again.

* * *

"So you're going sightseeing while you wait? I see. Then since you'll be traveling around, can you check the places you visit for any sign of Vongola Decimo or his mother. You already know what they both look like from the file I gave you."

"Sure. I'll help look for them."

"Thanks. It will make my job easier and maybe help us find my student sooner so you don't have to wait so long."

"Right."

"Let me know if you find anything." Reborn says then promptly ends the call, sighing.

"Time to start searching for that student of mine."

It might take a while, but at least he isn't doing this alone. He has Gokudera searching and he didn't need to ask Timoteo when he called him earlier if he would be sending out people to find Tsuna because he already knows that Timoteo will. Tsuna is his last heir after all.

* * *

**Preview of next chapter...**

_"Quite the clever ones aren't they? Maybe this game of cat and mouse will be fun after all. And it will be even more fun once I catch my prey."_

_"What!? You mean to tell me that not only did he put our lives in danger, but now the family he's part of wants to make you their boss!? Never! I won't allow it! We will keep moving if that's what we have to do."_

_"Kufufu~ well if it isn't Smokin' Bomb Hayato. What brings you here?"_

_"Nothing that concerns you pineapple freak!"_

_"Kufufu~ oh but it does you see. No one gets away with attacking my dear Kuuya."_

_"Kuuya? Who the heck is Kuuya? That guy's name is Sawada Tsunayoshi or did he not tell you anything about himself?"_

_"Kufufu~ I know that's his real name."_

_"So Kuuya's just an alias then?"_

_"Kufufu~ of course."_

_"Coward. He even changed his name just to run away from his responsibilities."_

_"Kufufu~ you probably shouldn't have said that."_

_Gokudera doesn't even have the time to contemplate what the pineapple freak it telling him as a fist slams into his face, sending him flying. _

**Sorry this chapter is a little short and boring, but I will try and write more in the nest chapter and there will be more action.**

**Also, keep voting on the pairings poll on my profile for which couples you want to see in this story. **


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